The Choice
by daystonights
Summary: Luce finally picks Cam over Daniel, but she's constantly haunted by her choice. Will she stand her ground or go back to the comfort of the past?
1. Chapter 1

_She took a few steady steps forward, the moonlight casting shadows through breaks in the heavily wooded forrest. How had she gotten here but the most important question, where was she? Straining her hazel eyes, she tried to figure out if anything would stand out, trigger her memory before panic kicked in and she lost all control of what was going to happen. _

"_Lucinda," a distant but familiar voice called out yards in front of her. It was him._

_She sighed out a shaky breath, comfort spreading throughout her being as she trudged forward, the single word still lingering in the heavy air, giving her hope. Holding her delicate hands in front of her, she made a sweeping motion to her sides, insuring the brush wouldn't slow her down. _

"_Just a few more steps, I'm here," his smooth voice encouraged her and she pressed on, longing to be in his arms once more._

_Quickening her pace, hypnotized by the voice in the dark, she didn't realize when the ground below her feet changed. What was once a soft blanket of moss had now turned into stone, cracking rapidly under her weight. "Where are you? Stop hiding," her voice sounding more desperate than she wanted to let on._

_Then she heard it. The soft, gentle beating of those massive wings. The rhythm seemed to sync with her heartbeat, wanting to make a connection to this creature. Suddenly the trees disappeared, giving way to jagged rocks as she tucked her hands closer to her shaking body. Why was he playing tricks on her? _

"_Close your eyes," the voice came from behind her, filling her ears with the whispered words, "But keep walking."_

"_Why can't I see you? I don't like this game anymore," She hesitantly closed her eyes, unable to resist his wishes. Her legs began to tremble, unsure where her feet were leading her, relying her safety completely with him._

"_I have a surprise for you, just keep following my voice," The words were farther in front of her now and she hated him in this instant._

_The wind picked up, thrashing her hair wildly around. Instinctively she tried to tuck the unruly hair behind her ears but it did no good. Once one strand was secure, she felt it slide from her hold, tickling against her nose. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, the chill in the air cutting at her lungs, making her cry out to him, "I want to go home, now. I'm done playing –" _

"_Paitence my love," He cut her off, annoyance evident in his tone. _

_Clenching her teeth together, holding back her response she just nodded. She didn't want another fight, every time they saw each other, they fought. They fought about them, their friends, her parents, their future even what day it was. Her thoughts getting the best of her as she tripped on a loose rock in the ground, not bracing herself, falling face first onto hard ground but where was the impact, the trickling of blood down her face? She felt nothing. Warily opening her eyes, she gasped at what she saw. Half hanging off the edge of the cliff, she more heard the waves crashing miles below than saw them. _

"_Help me, please," she pleaded. Tears burning in her eyes, she tried to find something solid to grab a hold of, to push herself back. _

_She lifted her head, feeling his presence closer than ever. Her eyes were met simply with his hand as she reached out for him. Why wasn't he trying harder to save her? Isn't that what he always did, always wanted? _

_Finally he wrapped his fingers around her small wrist, pulling her up into the air, away from any doubts her mind were quickly forming. Tired of holding back the tears, she let them freely flow down her cheeks as she looked up, searching for the familiar violet eyes she could get lost in. _

_But something was wrong, there was no love to be found. Only sorrow._

"_I'm sorry Lucinda, but tonight, you will die," And with those final words he released her. Sending her into a free-fall, spiraling to her death._

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><p>Luce sprang up from her bed, feeling her heart hammering in her chest, beads of sweat dewing along her brow. Why did she keep having these dreams about Daniel? They started little over a month ago, when she told him she couldn't see him any longer. She didn't tell him it was because of who she was seeing behind his back, but she figured he knew about Cam.<p>

She didn't want to continuously explain to Daniel why she was spending so much time with Cam. It was simple, he was there for Luce when Daniel wasn't.

Pulling herself up from the perfectly, molded to her body, mattress she slipped her feet into the pair of slippers waiting for her in front of the nightstand and headed down the hall to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. The aroma of fresh coffee filled her nostrils, a pleasant smile forming over her lips. He was here.

"Good morning," Cam spoke to her once she rounded the corner. Standing in her kitchen was the man she had only dreamed of being with, shirtless, black hair wet from his morning shower and holding her favorite mug, steaming with her black coffee.

Tying the strap of her robe, Luce strolled closer to him, taking the cup in her hands, setting it down on the counter to their immediate right before snaking her arms around his waist, "You showered without me" she glanced up at him, putting on her best pout, "again."

The short laugh Cam coughed out, Luce knew what was coming as he pushed the silk robe down her bare shoulder, bowing his head, his hand capturing the back of her head, guiding it to the side as his full lips brushed against her collarbone as he spoke, "Then I guess I'll have to work up another sweat."


	2. Chapter 2

As the dust settled under his feet, Daniel tucked his wings behind his back. The evening flight seemed to clear his head of all unwanted thoughts. It had been two months since Luce had made her decision to leave him but it felt like yesterday to him, every day. Dragging his fingers through the newly damp blond locks, Daniel began his short journey to her house.

"_I need you to sit down," she began._

_It was a typical Tuesday night of Luce's homemade lasagna and a half a bottle of wine, or so Daniel thought. The whole day he got this vibe that he couldn't shake and once he walked into her house, not smelling the sweet scent of the maranara sauce or overcooked noodles, it confirmed his suspisions. _

_Luce was sitting in front of the unlit fireplace, her shoulders slumped, face in her hands. She didn't even look up when he opened the door. _

"_Lucinda, what's wrong?" He inched closer to her, his wings tingling to unfurl and comfort her._

"_Oh, hello Daniel," the fear in her words threw him off. He crouched down beside her, brushing the hair from her face as she cringled._

He saw the living room light was on, a shadow dashed by the window closely followed by another. The ache in his chest stopping him dead in his tracks. Luce wasn't alone tonight, he was there.

It took everything in Daniel not to rip the door from it's hinges, grab Cam by his throat and pin him against the wall. How could they do this to him? Cam had been by his side since the dawn of man, he knew what everyone had sacrificed but here he was, chasing the one being that meant the world to Daniel, like teenagers in love.

Standing below the burnt out lampost, he leaned his head against the smooth metal, unable to tear his attention from the two story house in front of him.

_Luce's response to his touch sent a hundred different emotions coursing through him. Had he done something wrong? Had Miles stopped by again laying the guilt trip on her?_

_As Daniel opened his mouth, she cut him off, "I need you to sit down." He saw the vein in her neck throbbing, she was nervous but why?_

_Getting to his feet he took a seat in the loveseat behind him as she stood and slowly paced in front of him. He could see her contemplating, going over what she had earlier rehersed and it put him on edge._

"_Please let me say what I have to before you stop me and put your two cents in," She finally looked at him, her face unreadable. _

Shaking off that fated day, he noticed the downstairs light was off now and her laughter filled the empty air around him.

"I won that bet, it's time you pay up," Cam spoke as he wrapped his arm around Luce's shoulder, planting a kiss on the top of Luce's head.

She laughed once more, trying to shove him away as they made their way down the cobblestone walkway, "Because you're a pompous asshole."

Daniel squeezed his eyes shut, hoping their voices would quickly fade away. Why did he continuously torture himself with the sight of them?

Cam cleared his throat as the sound of their footsteps stopped, he whispered something in Luce's ear that Daniel was unable to pick up on. Had they seen him lurking in the shadows, better yet, had Cam picked up on his presence? Taking a much needed deep breath, Daniel opened his eyes as he felt those emerald eyes boring into him. "Fuck," he mumbled, taking a fraction of a step backwards.

He saw Luce continue to her vehicle as Cam casually strolled closer to him with the ease of going to check the mail. Not bothering to check for an oncoming car, Cam's pace quickened as he narrowed those sinister eyes, Daniel his target.

"What the fuck are you doing here again Grigori?" Cam spat out. "How many times do I have to tell you, she isn't yours anymore?"

It took more strength than Daniel thought to keep from lunging at Cam. "It's none of your business why I'm here."

Cam barked out a laugh, shaking his hair as the light shone off his black hair. "You're pathetic."

Not wanting to cause more trouble for himself, Daniel took one last look in Luce's direction, seeing she was in fact aware he was there before extending his wings and taking off into the night sky. It might have been his ears playing a trick on him, but he swore he hear her whisper is name.


	3. Chapter 3

As Luce slipped into the passenger side of Cam's Dodge Charger, her mind was swarmed with unanswered questions. Why exactly was Daniel here, well technically she knew the answer to that but hadn't she made it perfectly clear that he wasn't welcome here any longer?

At first Daniel started coming around more frequent than he did when they were actually dating just to ruffles Cam's feathers. Those pointless fights and arguments lasted days at a time. There were never any victors in the end, but Luce felt like every time they fought, she lost a part of herself.

The car door slamming startled her and all thoughts were lost. Cam's laughter cut through the silence as he mimicked her tiny jump and yelp in the seat, "Someone needs a drink."

She rolled her eyes, quickly smacking the back of her hand against his thigh, "I could use a day without you two constantly going after each other."

His cool fingers wrapped around her dainty wrist as he brought her hand up to his mouth, slowly kissing down until he reached her elbow, "That will never happen and you know it" the velvet touch of his lips muffled her thoughts as she pulled away.

"Can you at least try? I know it's just a fucking front, Cam. You think Arriane or Gabbe don't tell me what you two are up to when I'm at work?" She sucked in a deep breath before continuing, "I know when I'm not around it's like there are no issues with you two."

A few days ago she had received calls from both of her friends, well more like Gabbe forced them to have a conference call so they could go over every single detail of the secret workings of Daniel and Cam.

"_Luce honey," Gabbe's southern drawl thick today as she cooed into the phone, "I know you don't wanna hear this, but I thought it'd be for the best."_

"_Just get to the point Gabbe, the girl doesn't have all day," Arriane spat into the reciever. _

"_Well someone needs to get their happy face on," You could practically hear Arriane roll her eyes over the phone at Gabbe. "Anyways, we know you don't wanna hear anything about, well, you know who, but we thought you should know what's going on suga'"_

_They proceded to tell Luce about the meetings the boys had been having. Everyone knew this was just Cam and Daniel in their natural ways, always reaching out for each other, even when things didn't seem so great to onlookers._

"_So tell me why I should be worried about this?" Luce spun the phone cord around her index finger as Gabbe finally shut up. _

"_There isn't anything to be worried about, you know how Gabbe is," Arriane chipped in before she didn't have the chance. "But if you don't like it, I can interviene."_

"Luce, are you even listening to a word I'm saying?"

She was pulled from her thoughts, reminding herself to actually go and see the other angels she'd come to love, "What, of course I am."

"Where were you just then? Replaying this morning over again?" The invisible smile reached his menacing emerald eyes, the six-cylinder engine roared to life.

Luce sat back against the cloth seat, feeling the swift motion as the car shifted from reverse to first gear and sped off toward the city, "Maybe." Suddenly she wasn't in the mood to be going out to meet Roland and Molly.

Her head lulled back, the warm Georgia air whipping over her face as she watched the stars quickly fade into the bright city lights.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** Minor changes to what I had posted before. Another short chapter leading up to the next two, which I promise will be longer, and more Daniel and Cam centered. Thank you to everyone who has added this story to their favorites and put it on alerts, even through it's slight neglect.

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><p>Daniel landed gracefully in an alley a few streets over from where he was drawn to Luce. He wished this pull would be severed, release him from their curse so he could try and live this new life. Her aura radiated a soothing blanket of blues and greens, which guided his feet straight for her, and Cam.<p>

Pulling the black baseball cap lower over his golden locks, he heard the hesitation in her voice as he rounded the corner, "I don't want to be here tonight. Can you just take me home?"

"I told you this was important Luce and your presence here could shift things into my favor," Cam hissed. "Don't fuck this up for me."

It took everything in Daniel not to lunge at Cam, for the second time tonight, for speaking to her like that. There was no love in that relationship, what did Luce see in him? She was a trophy to him, something to dangle over everyone, to make him seem like the bigger man for finally swaying her to his side and bed.

Before she spoke, Daniel knew she was going to comply with Cam's wishes, for her own safety. Her forced smile influenced her reply, "Oh, I won't be fucking anything tonight, that's a promise." He was a few feet behind them when Luce yanked her arm from Cam's grasp and stopped.

"What are you doing? Stop acting like a child Lucinda," Cam reached for her once more but she shook her head.

"I can't do this right now. I'll be in there soon, okay?" She stepped forward to kiss his cheek but hesitated and began walking back the way they had just came, right into Daniel's path.

He stood still in her way, placing his hands behind his back right before she walked straight into him, "I'm sorry, I wasn't –" He heard her breath catch once their eyes met. Cam had already entered the bar, so it was safe, for now. Instinctively she melted into him, wrapping her arms around his waist and finding his cupped hands. "What are you doing here?"

She already knew the answer to that question, but she still needed to hear it come from the lips of her destiny, to know that he still cared, curse or no curse. Daniel would never lie to her about how he felt for her. He'd done it long enough in the past but only for Luce's safety. "I couldn't help myself. I've tried to stay out of your life as you asked," His hands found their way to Luce's face, his fingertips tracing the hollow of her cheeks, "It kills me to see the way _he_ treats you." The quiet laughter filled Luce's ears. It wasn't joyful, but almost a reminiscing laugh.

"The way I treat Lucinda is none of your concern, Grigori."

In the blink of an eye, Luce had recoiled from Daniel, as if her life depended on it. "Cam, I-I'm sorry. It's not what it looks like," She spoke softly, head hanging forward, like a scared dog. "I was going to go for a walk when I ran into him, literally." The glow from a cigarette cherry was the only sign there was someone standing in the alley and that the two were not talking to the air. Daniel watched Luce's head follow the arch of the cigarette in the air, before it sizzled out in a puddle to her immediate left.

"Get inside now. It's not a request this time, it's an order."

"Cam, can we –" But Cam cut Daniel and Luce's synchronized pleas off quickly. "I said **now**."

Without a moment's hesitation, Luce turned her head, looking at Daniel for a final time. A look of shame was clearly seen shining in her eyes. All the fire was gone, it was as if she'd lost who she once was. Daniel wasn't used to her being so submissive, taking orders from someone when it came to him. He stepped forward, reaching out to grab hold of her arm, but was instead grabbing onto Cam's clenched fist. "Not right now, I'm entertaining some very important guests and your presence certainly would put a damper on this celebration. Leave. We'll discuss this at the right time."

Daniel's wings were burning to be released. How dare Cam speak to him this way, like he were a higher power, not his equal. Silently, he released Cam's hand, nodding once. "I'll be waiting. You know where." Satisfied with his answer, Cam rolled his head between his shoulders before turning around without saying another word to Daniel. He didn't even wait around to insure Daniel had truly left, but he knew what was at stake tonight, and had some planning of his own to do.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: **So this story kind of fell out of my lap and I neglected it for years. Oops. Slowly going to get back into updating and what have you. Thank you for all the new follows and favorites! I see each and every single one of them and thank you all for reading this! I know this is a short chapter but it will be added to once I'm no longer ill because who likes to write when you don't know if it makes sense? Anyways, enjoy.

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><p>As Luce stood in front of the large mirror that took up half the wall in the restroom, she stared at a reflection she no longer recognized. Curling her slender fingers into a fist, she sighed aloud and closed her eyes. What was Daniel doing trailing them? Did he not get the hint?<p>

Raising the fist and bringing it down with force against the marble counter-top, she gritted her teeth. "You're going to get yourself killed you big idiot."

It wasn't strange that Luce felt so protective of her ex, but the other feelings that bubbled to the surface as they collided outside were unnerving. She chose Cam, the man she swore she loved. But was this the right decision to become the queen of Hell and rule next to its rightful king? She could still back out of this deal, forget about shifting powers and break free of the burdens bestowed upon her. Slowly reopening her eyes and taking a deep breath for confidence, Luce turned on her heels and strode out of the ladies room where Cam was waiting; busy checking something on his phone.

"It's about time that you came out of there," He glanced at her for a moment, emerald eyes clouded with irritation. "Almost sent Molly in to fetch you." His lips curled into a grin but Luce knew he wasn't kidding. That girl hated her and wouldn't mind getting physical to appease Cam.

"Can we get this over with?" Luce knew this would be a defining moment in her life, but hopefully she was making the right decision. Not only was she going to change the course of the rest of her life, it was her life and freewill on the line.

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><p>Daniel waited at a small coffee shop across the street. The meeting Cam and Lucinda were attending was monumental and he couldn't tear his thoughts away from the duo. Yet he had faith, somewhere deep within his bones, that everything would end up in his favor. Knowing someone for an eternity you knew where their loyalties lay and this scenario had happened before; with Cam losing everything but his name.<p>

Taking a sugar packet from the table, Daniel tore open the paper and emptied the contents into the cream colored mug full of coffee. There was a knot in the pit of his stomach as he imagined Luce siding with Cam and condemning Daniel to eternity in Hell where his punishment would not only include watching them rule together, but watch as the world sank into darkness. _"No."_ He told himself silently._ "Have faith. She **won't** fail you." _Daniel rolled his eyes and pushed the cup of coffee away with the back of his hand. He wanted to march across the street and enter the bar and demand to take his rightful seat at that table. There _always_ had to be a representative from the opposing side present to ensure that nothing was being forced without consent. That was Daniel's initial plan of coming over here to scope out the property. He wanted to see who would be representing his side of things but was yet to see a familiar face.

Jumping as his phone vibrated in the inside pocket of his jacket, Daniel retrieved it and furrowed his brows as he read the text message. Why would Cam be giving him insight to the meeting? To the uneasy feeling he was getting from Luce? Shaking his head, Daniel dismissed the text as he assumed it was a trap. Nothing came for free when the stakes were this high; especially from his rival.

"Just gonna sit there and watch your world crumble to pieces you ass?" Arriane's familiar voice echoed from behind Daniel as her reflection appeared in the window. "Definitely not the way I saw this going down." The angel sat beside her distressed friend and placed a comforting hand on his back.

"There's nothing I can do, Arriane. It's her decision and her's alone."

She arched a brow and lightly smacked the back of his blond head, "Shut the fuck up, Grigori. You know everything isn't the end of the world. If you want your gal, go and get her. Save the world like you always do and fly off into the sunset."

Daniel couldn't help but to crack a smile. Tough love is just what he needed, even if he never admitted it. "It isn't that simple. Cam basically refused to allow me in. He's keeping her on a tight leash tonight." _Especially after having more than one run in this evening. _He added to himself.

"And you think our girl can't pull out a win on her own? She's a lot stronger than you think, Daniel." Arriane check her reflection in the back of a spoon, picking at something between her teeth with her tongue. "I've kept an eye on her as well as Gabbe."

"I sure hope so."


End file.
